'ALLOTMENT HEAVEN' An Allotment blog - a journey in allotmenteering which began in February 2008.

Monday, 16 March 2009

Successful Sowing

I Spent a few hours at the allotment on Saturday afternoon harvesting the remaining brussel sprouts. We took the sprouts off and chopped the stems up to rot down for the compost bin . The stems are so thick it would take ages to rot in the bin, so we will break them down and add them later on, it would be lovely to have a shredder. The brussel bed has now been dug over roughly ready to weed and rake, and prepare for the next crop in, which I haven't decided on yet.

My latest seed sowings have been very successful as you can see below. The top picture is of the German cabbages "Filderkraut" which I mentioned in a previous post ( Withdrawal symptoms). The next picture down is two types of Kale, on the left of the seed tray is Dwarf Curly Kale, and on the right of the tray is Nero Di Toscana (Italian). Next is the Italian Red Onions which have at last started to grow sturdier. I have been putting them outside each day if it's not raining, but they go out if it's windy as I have learnt that the wind helps strengthen them, and it's really worked. At the bottom is the Cerinthe plants which I sowed in the Autumn, they have been hardening off during the day and hopefully going out into the beds in April.

5 comments:

What great gardening weather we've had for the last few days and more to come :) Your cerinthe plants have really come on Maureen and look most sturdy. I will have to remember to sow some next autumn. The seedlings that had self seeded at the lottie did not make it through this cold winter ! I have sown some in the greenhouse but it will be a good while before they catch up on yours. St.Patrick's Day today so I am sowing peas later :)

All your seedlings look so healthy. I notice on your cerinthe picture you've staked them - do you always do that? I suppose what I mean is, should I be doing that too?They look ready to plant out now - are you leaving them out at night?So many questions - sorry!P x

Hi Anna & Pam, I love Cerinthes so I'm really pleased they have come on so well. Like you Anna I lost my self seeders last year so bought a new packet of seeds this year.PAM, I staked them as they were leaning a bit, it's only until they get really strong and then if they don't need the stakes I will take them off. If yours look unsteady outside on a windy day I would advise staking them. I haven't left them out at night yet, but I put them out every day.

Hi Maureen! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your seedlings and garden are looking really good. You asked me where you could find some stamps like the ones I used on my seed labels. Any craft store (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's) would have something similar. The ones I used are manufactured by PSX Design (maybe do a web search??) ~ they are a "Pixie" alphabet set called "Antique" Uppercase. Hope that helps??

What a lovely set of seedlings. Some of mine are beginning to look a bit leggy so I had a major pricking out session at the weekend. I'd never heard of cerinthe but having looked it up I can see why you grow it it looks really unusual. Missing the garden this last couple of days, work keeps getting in the way...

Welcome to my Blog

I started this blog in November 2008. I didn't know where it would go or even if I would keep at it. But here I am now into April 2014 and still blogging and enjoying it. I still remember the excitement when I got my first comment, and now I even have followers, amazing !! I also follow and read a lot of brillient blogs and have made some lovely friends in the blogging world.

It's also very useful keeping a diary about my allotment and it serves as a personal record of my achievements and of my failures. In fact when I re-read some of my older entries it makes me wonder how I managed back then to find the time to get the allotment plot up to the planting and growing stage, but I did and I grew a great variety of vegetables and fruit in my first year, and it's just got better.

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A favourite poem

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with the golden and silver lightThe blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half-light,I would spread the cloths under your feetBut I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams...